The Javelin Technologies Blog

Starting in 2012, the Javelin Training Team has decided to give back to the environment to promote sustainable forests.  We will be giving monthly donations to the not-for-profit, charitable organization TreeCanada (www.treecanada.ca).

The paper training manuals that are provided in our courses are important as you can read through the steps and exercises while having SolidWorks open on the computer for practice.  At the end of the course, each student can take the manual home for additional practice and future reference.  However the vast amount of fantastic information requires some hefty paper manuals.  Since paper books are an invaluable resource available to everyone, we will help offset its carbon footprint by planting trees!

TreeCanada has been around since 1992 with a great vision and programs to get things done.  They have planted and maintained 77 million trees since their beginning and have inspired individuals and corporations on the benefits of settled forests.  Our donation can be used to plant 25 trees every month that will replenish our air.  Breath easy!

With the holidays fast approaching, don’t lose sight of your efforts to help the earth.  Think about making the switch to LED lights for your house.  Try avoiding the wasteful wrapping paper that goes directly into the garbage.  How about doing away the stacks of paper greeting cards and move to e-cards or start a blog with pictures and stories that you can share with friends and family.

Running out of ideas?  Check out this lengthy list from planetgreen.com.

SolidWorks Sustainability was introduced back in 2010 to assist engineers design renewable products in the early stages.  Here is an interesting article on this topic.

http://www.good.is/post/new-software-could-help-engineers-create-greener-products/

I subscribe to the Green Building Digest and this article has ways to green your house.  A great refresher.

This Spring, Make Your Home Green Again!

Did you know that the average person will buy 1-2 pairs of running shoes a year?  If you use the population in Ontario only (~12M), that equates to almost 24M shoes a year!  Also, it takes about 1000 years for a running shoe to biodegrade.  Nike has come up with a great recycling program where each part of the running shoe is recycled to create sports surfaces such as running tracks, tennis courts, basketball courts, etc etc.   Check out their website:

http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/ There is only one location in Canada at the moment that does this, hopefully more will be added this year!

If you were wondering, why not make a shoe that will biodegrade a little faster?  Brooks has done just that by creating “The Green Silence”.   This shoe will biodegrade in 20 years instead of 1000.

http://www.brooksrunning.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BrooksRunning-Site/default/Technology-Content?cid=green_silence

Here are a few ways I have changed in how I am doing things this fall.  Try some yourself.

• I only run the dish washer once a week if possible
• Only have lights on if I’m in the room and need them
• Use re-usable bags when grocery shopping now
• Never keep things plugged in
• Started working from home 1-2 times a week to save on gas
• So far have only had my heat on for 1 day (probably easier for me since I live in a condo building!)
• Started using eco-friendly dish detergent
• Make all regular check-ups so my car is in its best condition to drive (tires, oil, etc.)
• Have cut my hydro bill by about 30%
• Use brita instead of bottled water

Several Javelin men have committed to grow a mustache for November as part Movember.  Check out http://ca.movember.com/about/ for more information.  If you feel like donating to the Javelin team, click here and search for “Javelin-Stache”.

As men across the globe raise funds for prostate cancer, we can also find ways to help the earth as we shave away the beards.  There are 5 great tips at PlanetGreen.com.

1) Use an electric razor
2) Use a straight razor
3) Shave with olive oil
4) Shave less
5) Extend the use of disposable razors

The future of design is eco-friendly! Javelin Technologies offers you Live Web Training that provides a low environmental impact with no travel required to attend training and no paper-based manuals being printed.

The SolidWorks Live Web training sessions are conveniently scheduled in two-hour sessions during the morning to allow you to complete the training quickly and then move on with your day. SolidWorks software does not need to be installed on your computer to participate in the training so can be completed in the comfort of your home or office.  Only a phone and computer with internet access is needed.

Read More »

Why is EPDM green you ask? Well, let me tell you!

• EPDM can remove the need to print preliminary drawings that need to be approved. When I worked as a mechanical designer without EPDM, I would print stacks and stacks of drawings (sometimes many times) before the entire design was approved. Since EPDM uses electronic notifications, we can eliminate the need to print a copy of a drawing that needs an approval. Only an automatic email would be sent from the designer to the approver stating that a file needs their attention. The approver can then access the file with a hyperlink and view it within the EPDM vault. The approver can then approve it or send it for changes all without ever thinking of printing the file.

• EPDM can also remove the need to print released for production prints that would be used by manufacturing.  Once the drawing is approved, EPDM can automatically create released for production prints in PDF format for example, which can totally eliminate the need for any paper to hit the production floor. All the production personnel would need is a computer with EPDM to view all of the drawing information.